Oven Short Ribs and Creamy Polenta

These oven braised short ribs and creamy polenta are packed with deep flavor! Made without wine or alcohol, the short ribs are delicious and tender.

An easy recipe made in a dutch oven, the oven mainly does the work while your house smells delicious! While you wait for the ribs to cook, the creamy polenta can be made for a side dish that soaks up all the delicious sauce. These fall-off-the-bone short ribs are perfect for a date night in or for company since they are hard to screw up.

If you want to skip the polenta, these short ribs without wine also pair well with easy Boursin mashed potatoes or roasted mashed cauliflower for a lower carb option, and a light, crisp salad like this apple fennel salad.

Why You’ll Love These Braised Short Ribs and Polenta

“Braised” means to sear the short ribs quickly before baking slowly in the oven. Most braised short ribs contain red wine, so I set out to create one that didn’t contain any alcohol. I’ve made these braised short ribs without wine using both apple juice and pear juice, which I know sounds really strange, but it turns out the flavors pair beautifully with the short ribs.

• Creamy polenta – Polenta is the perfect pairing for these hearty short ribs and I’ll show you how to make it super creamy with mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese!).
• Dutch oven recipe – For the perfect braise, these short ribs are cooked in a dutch oven, like Le Creuset or Lodge.
• Short ribs without wine – You don’t need red wine for these short ribs. The cooking process provides a deep flavor. Although it seems like the juice might make it sweet, it’s not! It’s just enough to balance the heaviness of the dish.
• Special diet friendly – Whether you’re following a migraine diet, gluten free, or dairy free, these oven baked short ribs can please everyone at the table.

Ingredients

Here are a few notes on key items for the short ribs with the full recipe in the card at the bottom of the page.

• Bone-in short ribs – Get short ribs and not beef ribs (beef back ribs), which will have less fat and marbling. They’re typically cut in square or rectangle shaped slabs and are tougher, but when cooked on low heat become very tender and flavorful. While boneless short ribs can also work here, they tend to have a faster cooking time.
• Apple juice or pear juice – Use naturally sweetened for both.
• Shallots – Don’t substitute these with onion. The flavor is so much more elevated!
• Carrots – Use large carrots or baby carrots – whatever you have on hand.
• Broth – I prefer to use a lower sodium vegetable broth, beef broth or chicken broth. I also love to use this rotisserie chicken bone broth if I have it on hand.
• Herbs – This recipe uses thyme but a sprig of rosemary would also work well.

Polenta makes a great side dish for short ribs. Here’s what you’ll need and some substitution ideas.

• Polenta – The finer the grind, the faster it will cook, so medium or coarse will take longer to simmer than fine. You can also pre-soak the polenta in water to cut down on cooking time, but using finely ground polenta is easier. The standard ratio is 4 cups of liquid to 1 cup of polenta.
• Milk – I add this in for creaminess, but you can certainly use all water or broth.
• Broth – Same recommendations as above. I highly recommend using broth for polenta, especially if you don’t use the milk. It adds so much extra flavor.
• Mascarpone Cheese – This can be substituted with cream cheese as well, although I love the light flavor of mascarpone with this dish.
• Butter – I used Kerrygold unsalted.

Dairy free alternative – Use your favorite dairy free cream cheese, oat milk, and olive oil or butter substitute for the polenta. You could also just use a simple mashed potato recipe instead of the polenta.

How to Make Short Ribs and Polenta

Braised Short Ribs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pull short ribs out of the fridge at least 15 minutes before you intend to cook them. Season generously with kosher salt and pepper on all sides. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Add short ribs, working in batches so they don’t crowd, searing till nicely browned on both sides. Set aside.
2. Pour out any excess oil so only 1 tablespoon remains, then add shallots and carrots, cooking for 2-3 minutes stirring regularly. Then add garlic, brown sugar, thyme.
3. Return the short ribs to the dutch oven and stir in the juice and broth.
4. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and place in the oven. Allow the short ribs to cook for a long period of time – about 2-3 hours. Keep them on low heat and don’t worry about it. When their cooking time is coming to an end, begin the polenta.

Creamy Polenta

1. In a medium pot, bring milk and broth to a low boil over medium-high heat. Add in polenta a little bit at a time, whisking constantly. Continue whisking constantly as the mixture simmers and begins to thicken.
2. You want to maintain a heat that has a low simmer, not a rolling boil, so the polenta cooks slowly otherwise it may become gritty.
3. This process can take about 20-30 minutes, so switch off with someone else to continue whisking or grab a stool!
4. Once the polenta has thickened, remove from heat and add in butter and cheese, stirring till combined. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.

Slow Cooker Method

If you wanted to do these short ribs in the crock pot you could sear them first and put them on high for 4-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours. I’d also add about 2 more cups of broth, just to make sure it’s kept moist.

I am not a fan of doing short ribs in the instant pot, mainly because you can’t achieve that fall off the bone, melt in your mouth texture that you can from braising them in the oven. Plus you’re really only adding another hour to your cooking time and I promise the flavor is worth it.

Storage Suggestions

• Refrigerator – Short ribs and polenta will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator in an air tight container.
• To reheat – You can use the microwave, oven, or in a covered pot with sauce/broth to keep it moist. Polenta will harden over time, but can be thinned out with a little bit of broth or milk over the stove, or by stirring and microwaving in short intervals.
• Freezer – Place in a freezer-safe container for up to 3-4 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge or quickly in warm water. I don’t recommend freezing the polenta!